I know it sounds corny on the surface, but it really got me thinking about my own life and how I can do better for myself, if not for others.

But what the hell does it mean to “live with intention”? It means to mindfully choose how you live each day, rather than sitting by and letting things happen to you, or at you. I’m never quite clear at the beginning of my day where I want it to go. Frankly, it’s good if I manage to get out of bed on time.

Barring my horrid sleep issues, do I live my life with intent? Am I happy with how I am interacting with the world? Not really, if I’m to be honest. Ideally, I’d get up every day and do some morning pages, get a bit of stretching in and determine where I want my day to go.

I also want to examine my values. I mean, I know what my values are in the moment I need to express them. But I’ve never really sat down and thought about what I wish to see in the world. I know I’m pro-choice, pro-trans rights, pro-anything LGBTQ really. I know that as I get older my identity as a person with a disability contributes to how I see accessibility, etc.

I know those things about myself inherently, but there’s nothing wrong with a little introspection every now and again.

Living with intent doesn’t always have to mean quitting your desk job and going to live off-grid in the woods. That’s not everyone’s dream. But I know I’d like to be more successful in my career and there are things I can do to help that if I’m living a life that is mindful.

I’m not sure what this means for me in the future, to be honest. Maybe it will mean a huge change, maybe it will be a bunch of smaller ones. But I know this, I want to happen to my life, not have my life happen to me.